Collaboration Is Social

this needed saying. Credit where due: the phrase came up at an Intel-sponsored meeting about the state of the Metaverse. I think I was the originator, though it's often hard to know for sure at these sorts of events. But it's a good meme nonetheless.

The point is, working on something together is a social phenomenon. This points up the genius of Second Life. Why did it succeed (if only for the requisite 15 minutes) where so many other virtual worlds failed to catch on, either with a dedicated user base or the imagination of the public? It took me a while to figure this out, because it's not immediately obvious (at least it wasn't to me). The key is the fact that the development tool is the world itself. It's not just that it was free (there are free tools like Blender for typical 3D work); it's not that it was particularly good (it wasn't). It's not even just the fact that users were encouraged to create content, and the learning curve was not so steep. I think it's the fact that you actually build things right there *in* the actual world, and other people can see you do it. You can collaborate right there, in real time -- by moving an object, changing its properties, etc. Or just by commenting. It's the difference between playing a recording and lip-syncing, versus a live performance (whether or not you are a direct participant).

This is I think what makes this technology so potentially powerful, and why big companies are showing an interest. It's something of an evolution from the 'mods' of gamers -- but the right-there aspect of tweaking your avatar, wearing different clothes, building a house or terraforming -- this is a new element.


(ps yes, I know there was a financial collapse and an historic election. Life goes on)